After a two-day break the NBA Finals will continue on Sunday. The Cavaliers will try to even things up after suffering a blowout loss at the hands of the Warriors in Game 1.
Cavaliers vs. Warriors 2016 live stream: Time, TV schedule and how to watch NBA Finals Game 2 online
The Cavaliers need to tie the series or Game 3 will become a must-win.
The Cavaliers missed a golden opportunity to steal homecourt advantage in the first matchup of the series. They did a great job containing Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, who never looked like themselves and combined to score just 20 points on 27 shots. Normally forcing the Splash Brothers to such a poor shooting night would be enough to beat the Warriors, but the bench came to the rescue this time.
Shaun Livingston scored a career playoffs-high 20 points and Andre Iguodala and Leandro Barbosa contributed 12 and 11 points, respectively. Golden State's subs outscored Cleveland's by a whopping 37 points for the night, which was a surprising development since the Warriors' bench had struggled for most of the conference finals while the Cavaliers' had been terrific in the battle for the East's crown.
While depth was one of the main factors for Golden State’s win, it wasn’t the only one that led them to victory. They only had nine turnovers, an extremely low mark for a team that often struggles taking care of the ball, and their defense was also terrific, as it limited the Cavaliers to 38 percent shooting for the night.
“The one thing we’ve talked about all year,” said coach Steve Kerr after the game, “is if we defend and take care of the ball, then we’re always going to have somebody score enough points for us, whether it’s the starters or the bench.”
The Cavaliers, on the other hand, struggled greatly to contain Golden State inside, allowing 54 points in the paint, and turned the ball over 17 times. Their stars played well, as LeBron James, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love combined for 66 points, but the team's sloppy execution and the failure of the supporting cast to make a positive impact made it impossible for them to pull off the upset against such a talented opponent.
The Warriors surely hope to continue to avoid mistakes, like they did in Game 1, while getting Curry and Thompson back to their usual level. The Cavaliers, meanwhile, will try to figure out a way to get more role players involved while still getting their stars enough touches. Both situations present unique challenges that Kerr and Tyronn Lue will have to solve in order to get an edge in the series.
How to watch Warriors vs. Cavaliers Game 2
Place: Oracle Arena
Time: 8 p.m. ET
TV: ABC
Streaming: ABC Live
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Nobody can stop the Warriors’ deadliest play
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